BY AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
The Medicine Sans Frontieres, otherwise known as Doctors Without Borders, has donated a Triaging Station for the diagnosis of Lassa fever to the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.
During its inauguration recently at the New Emergency Ward, FETHA 2, the Nursing Activity Manager, MSF, Dr Pierre Dianzenza, said that the facility was meant for screening of the Lassa fever virus at the hospital.
Record shows intermittent outbreaks of Lassa fever virus sometimes resulting in death of patients and health workers in the state in view of the inadequacy of Triaging stations.
Dianzenza stated that the newly inaugurated facility would be supportive to the other triaging station in the hospital in line with its Lassa fever infection prevention mechanism.
In his reaction on the occasion, the acting Board Chairman of the hospital, Dr Kingsley Enweremadu, lauded MSF for donating a world class Triaging station in line with world best practices.
Enweremadu urged members of the public to report suspected cases early for prompt intervention.
The Chief Medical Director of Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Dr Emeka Ogah, said that though a Triaging station had earlier been constructed in the hospital, the new facility would complement the old one.
A representative of the National Lassa Fever Technical Working Group, Dr Mahamad Salim, said that since 2018 when the country recorded the highest outbreaks of Lassa fever, the group had been advocating for the construction of a standard Triaging facility.
